In a surgical procedure, it is sometimes necessary to use a saw to remove tissue, including bone and cartilage. Often a powered saw is used to perform this procedure. Attached to the saw is a saw blade. A drive assembly internal to the saw reciprocates the blade in a back and forth motion. Some blades are constructed to pivot back and forth, oscillate, in the plane in which the blade is oriented. This type of blade is referred to as a sagittal saw blade. A sagittal saw blade is provided with teeth that extend forward from the distal end of the blade body. Other blades move back and forth along their longitudinal axes. This type of blade is known as a reciprocating saw blade. This type of blade is provided with teeth that extend outwardly from a side edge of the blade body.
Known varieties of both sagittal and reciprocating saw blades function reasonably well. Nevertheless, there are limitations associated with the known varieties of both these blades. In particular, when a sagittal saw blade is pressed against bone in a cutting procedure, the blade can become unstable. Also, an inevitable byproduct of bone sawing process is the production of bone chips. These chips can accumulate in the interstitial space between the distal end of the sagittal saw and the bone the saw is employed to cut. The presence of these chips reduces the cutting efficiency of the saw.
Further, reciprocating saw blades are similarly known to their own inefficiencies. This is especially true with regard to the rate at which the blade cuts into the bone against which it is applied.